American Music

What is rhythm?

the flow of music, regular pulsations of the beat, musical time

What is melody?

A single note line, the horizontal aspect of music, descriptors for it are range and shape

Which legendary French-born superstar of tango was inspired by operatic bel canto singing and the criollo songs of the Argentine gauchos?

Carlos Gardel

From which stream of influence does the "high lonesome sound" commonly heard in country music hail?

European American Stream

A term that evokes the channeled flow of "swinging" or "funky" or "phat" rhythms is called a ___________________.

groove

A memorable musical phrase or riff is called a _________________.

hook

What were the English forms of popular music that came to America at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries?

Pleasure garden song, waltzes

A repeated pattern design to generate rhythmic momentum is called a ____?

Riff

What is harmony?

the vertical aspect of music, simultaneous notes being played, a progression of chords

Which Latin dance style did Irene and Vernon Castle and movie star Rudolph Valentino help popularize in the early twentieth century?

Tango

Which of the following is true about the Afro-Cuban rumba?

It accompanies dances featuring sexual role-playing and was originally suppressed by Cuban authorities.

What southern string band did James Gideon Tanner lead?

Skillet Lickers

The quality of sound, sometimes called "tone color," is _____?

Timbre

What type of musical texture does popular music have?

Homophonic

What role did song pluggers play in the music industry from the nineteenth century until the 1920s?

They promoted songs and convinced big stars to perform them.